Your route to the best fares around

Consolidators have great flight deals  but which one is best for you? Richard Green has the total guide

Air ticket agencies have come a long way. Once they were called bucket shops — a name that conjured up shady fly-by-night operations approached at your own risk. Now they’re called consolidators, and they’re big, legitimate businesses: along with the low-cost airlines, they’re the place to go for cheap fares — and many also sell hotel rooms, city breaks and complete package holidays.

So which one should you choose? Just a few years ago and it would have been simple: many consolidators had their own geographical area of expertise, and you picked the one that would have the best deal on where you wanted to go. Now, though — with a couple of exceptions (see below) — most outfits cover most of the world and the differences are more in style than destination. Some have knowledgable, well-travelled staff, happy to give advice and help plan your trip, others will simply tell you how much.